In Honor
of Columbus  Colombia is an ethnic mosaic, reflected
in its culture, folklore,
arts and crafts. The different roots and traditions of the Indians,
Spanish and Africans have produced interesting fusions, particularly
in crafts, sculpture and music. Pre-Columbian art consists primarily
of stone sculpture, pottery and goldwork. Indian basketware, weaving
and pottery date back to pre-Columbian times but now fuse modern
techniques with traditional designs. Colombian music incorporates
both the
African rhythms of the Caribbean, Cuban salsa and heavily Spanish-influenced
Andean music.

Colombia's literary giant is Gabriel García Márquez,
whose works mix myths, dreams and reality in a style critics have
dubbed 'magic realism'. García Márquez insists his
work is documentary, which says a lot about the nature, rhythm and
perception of life in Colombia. The best of Colombia's exciting
new writers is Moreno Durán, who has been burdened with the
reputation of being one of the best Latin American novelist to emerge
since the regional upsurge in literary talent in the 1950s. Source

Costa
Rica

The
Rich Coast: Rain Forest  Costa Rica is unique and deserves
praise for having dedicated
approximately one-quarter of its land to protected park land that
will not be developed, except in the context of ecotourism."

The long history of the rainforest has enabled countless butterflies,
moths, ants, termites, wasps, bees, and other tropical insects to
evolve in astounding profusion. There are many thousands of ant species
alone. Corcovado National Park alone has at least 220 species of breeding
butterflies, plus others that simply pass through. And there are so
many species of beetles and grasshoppers that no one knows the true
numbers. Many, many thousands of insect species still await identification.

The most brilliantly painted insects are the butterflies and moths,
some quite tiny and obscure, others true giants of the insect kingdom,
dazzlingly crowned in gold and jewel-like colors. In Guanacaste, hundreds
of species of bees, moth larvae, and tiger beetles make an appearance
in the early dry season. When the first rains come, lightbulbs are
often deluged with adult moths, beetles, and other insects newly emerged
from their pupae. That's the time, too, that many species of butterfly
migrate from the deciduous lowland forests to highland sites.

Many insect species are too small to see. The hummingbird flower mite,
for example, barely half a millimeter long, is so small it can hitch
rides from flower to flower inside the nostrils of hummingbirds. Other
insects you may detect by their sound. Male wood crickets, for example,
produce a very loud noise by rubbing together the overlapping edges
of their wing cases. There are many exotic-looking species that you
can immediately recognize. Guanacaste stick insects are easily spotted
at night on low shrubs. The three-inch rhinoceros beetle has an unmistakable
long, upward-curving horn on its head. And the number of spiders ornamented
with showy colors is remarkable. Some even double themselves up at
the base of leafstalks, so as to resemble flowerbuds, and thus deceive
the insects on which they prey. Source